A little new thing I’m doing this year is giving my top 25 for college football. I don’t have an AP vote or anything official like that, but this is how I see college football after week one.
1. USC – The offense was outstanding against Virginia. I expected the defense to be sweet right away, but I in no way expected the Trojans to hang half-a-hundy.
2. Georgia – Could be the most complete team right now, but injuries, namely to Knowshon Moreno, have the Bulldogs second.
3. Ohio State – Received a huge scare with Beanie Wells’ injury Saturday. He seems to be OK, though he likely won’t play next week against Ohio.
4. Oklahoma – I have one question for the Sooners after beating Chattanooga 57-2. How the heck did you give up a safety, of all things, as your only score allowed?
5. Florida – The Gators could average 45-50 points per game this year. The defense still is a question mark though.
6. Missouri – We all knew the Tigers could score with anyone. Giving up 42 points to Illinois, however, is somewhat concerning.
7. LSU – Congrats LSU. You avoided being App-Stated. I expect Lloyd Carr will be getting a thank you note in the mail this week.
8. West Virginia – Pat White actually passed for five touchdowns this week. That’s not a misprint. Then again, the Mountaineers were playing Villanova.
9. Auburn – The Tigers ran very effectively out of their new spread offense, blistering Louisiana-Monroe for well over 300 yards. The passing game needs to improve though.
10. Texas – Impressive opener for the Horns, taking out Sun Belt champ Florida Atlantic 52-10. Maybe Howard Schellenberger will think a second before calling the ‘Horns weak again.
11. Texas Tech – The Red Raiders got the win over Eastern Washington, but the 24 points given up have to be a cause for concern.
12. Wisconsin – We didn’t really learn much about the Badgers this week. They ran the ball a lot, which they always do, and have some defensive questions.
13. Kansas – Good opener for the Jayhawks. Then again, 99 percent of D1-A teams would say the same if they played Florida International.
14. Alabama – A big upward mover for good reason, as the Tigers blew out a Clemson team expected to win the ACC. Not a bad way to start year two of the Saban era.
15. Arizona State – Their starters outscored Northern Arizona 27-0. Their backups were outscored 13-3. Sun Devil fans better hope ASU stays healthy.
16. BYU – Guess who has the longest win streak in the country right now? Yep, that’s right, BYU. Northern Iowa marked 11 victories in a row.
17. Oregon – The Ducks made a statement this week, destroying Washington in the Pac-10 and season opener for both. In the process, they might have started the beginning of the end for Tyrone Willingham with the Huskies.
18. South Florida – The Bulls beat some overmatched team. Really hard to really gather any true insight.
19. Wake Forest – Yes, this is the first ACC team in the poll. Yes, that is not good for a BCS league. No, the Mountain West won’t replace the ACC in the BCS.
20. Clemson – Tigers take huge tumble after being smoked by Alabama Saturday. Definitely not the way the Tigers, who had national title aspirations, wanted to start.
21. Penn State – Joe Pa beat Coastal Carolina 66-10. Last time I had heard of the Chanticleers, they were led by Tony “Slam” Dunkin (yes, he actually found that nickname to be cool) and were getting smoked by the Fab Five in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
22. Utah – Utes get props for taking out my alma mater. Though they will need to tighten up on the penalties and turnovers, which almost allowed a Michigan comeback.
23. California – The Bears represented the Pac-10 quite nicely, turning away Michigan State in an entertaining game up on Strawberry Hill.
24. Fresno State – The Bulldogs went east and smoked Rutgers, 24-7, another loss in what was a forgettable opening week for the Big East.
25. East Carolina – I’m throwing the Pirates a bone after their big upset against Virginia Tech Saturday. They can further legitimize themselves this weekend against No. 8 West Virginia.
Just missed the cut: Boston College, UCLA, Virginia Tech.
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